ME430: AIR CONDITIONIG

LECTURE
2
Introduction of Air
Conditioning System
HVAC System
Major Component of HVAC System:
1. Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
Equipment.
2. Duct Works.
3. Air Terminals.
4. Chilled Water Piping.
5. Refrigerant Piping.
6. Control System.
7. Filtration System.
8. Exhaust System.
9. Humidification.
 HVAC System
Major Component of HVAC System:
 HVAC water chillers and heaters
 Hot water generator (if chiller does produce chilled water only) or furnace
 Chilled water pumps
 Cooling water pumps
 Electrical power supply control or Motor control center (MCC)
 Cooling towers
 Piping for chilled water and cooling water or condenser side water
 Valves for chilled water and cooling water sides
 Air handling units (AHUs), heating coils and cooling Coils
 Ducts in ventilation system (supply ducts and return ducts)
 Fan Coil Units (FCUs) and thermostats
 HVAC Diffusers and grills
 HVAC controls (instrumentation & Control components) installed at various
locations
 HVAC software for building HVAC control or building management system
(BMS)
 An Assembly of all above components forms an HVAC system.
Classification of Air Conditioning Equipment :
The Five System Loops
HVAC system can be demonstrated
into basic subsystems. These
subsystems will be referred to as
“loops.” There are five primary loops
that can describe virtually any type of
HVAC system.

► Airside Loop.
► Chilled-water Loop.
► Refrigeration Loop.
► Heat-rejection Loop.
► Controls Loop.
Second, the temperatures
Important observations: First, while
used in this lecture are
these five loops can be used to
representative of conditions in
describe virtually any HVAC system,
a typical HVAC system, but will
not every system uses all five loops.
differ from application to
application.
Airside Loop
Airside Loop-Conditioned Space
 First component of this loop is the conditioned
space.
 The first two comfort requirements mentioned were
dry bulb temperature and humidity.
 In order to maintain the dry-bulb temperature in the
conditioned space, heat (referred to as sensible
heat) must be added or removed at the same rate
as it leaves or enters the space.
 In order to maintain the humidity level in the space,
moisture (sometimes referred to as latent heat)
must be added or removed at the same rate as it
leaves or enters the space.
 Most HVAC systems used today deliver conditioned (heated, cooled,
humidified, or dehumidified) air to conditioned space to add or remove
sensible heat and moisture. This conditioned air is called supply air.
 The air that carries the heat and moisture out of the space is called
return air.
 If the supply air is colder, it can remove more sensible heat from the
space. If the supply air is drier, it can remove more moisture from the
space.
 Airside Loop-Supply Fan and Filter
 The next component of the airside loop is a
supply fan that delivers the supply air (SA)
to the space.
 This same supply fan is often used to also
draw the return air out of the space.
Alternatively, some systems use a second
fan, called a return fan, to draw air from the
space and move it back to the equipment that
contains the supply fan.
 Provide an adequate amount of fresh,
outdoor air to the space, the required
amount of outdoor air (OA) for ventilation is
brought into the building and mixed with the
recirculated portion of the return air (RA). The
remaining return air, that which has been
replaced by outdoor air, is exhausted as
exhaust air (EA) from the building, often by an
exhaust (or relief) fan.
Airside Loop-Cooling Coil
 Ensure the air in the conditioned space is
clean. Bringing in an adequate amount of
fresh outdoor air, and exhausting some of
the air from the space, can help meet this
requirement. However, the air must also be
filtered. In a typical HVAC system, the mixed
air passes through a filter to remove many
of the airborne contaminants.
 A heat exchanger, commonly known as a
cooling coil, is often used to cool and
dehumidify the supply air before it is delivered
to the space. The supply air must be cold
enough to absorb excess sensible heat
from the space and dry enough to absorb
excess moisture (latent heat).
 A typical cooling coil includes rows of tubes
passing through sheets of formed fins. A
cold fluid, either water or liquid refrigerant,
enters one header at the end of the coil and
then flows through the tubes, cooling both the
tubes and the fins.
 Chilled-Water Loop
In the airside loop, a cooling coil is used to cool and dehumidify the
supply air. The cold fluid flowing through the tubes of the coil may be
either water or liquid refrigerant. Systems that use water flowing
through the cooling coil also contain a chilled-water loop.
Heat energy flows from a higher-temperature substance to a lower-
temperature substance. Therefore, in order for heat to be transferred
from the air, the fluid
 Chilled-Water Loop

The third component of the chilled-water loop is a pump that moves water
around the loop. This pump needs to have enough power to move the water
through the piping, the evaporator, the tubes of the coil, and any other
accessories installed in the chilled-water loop.
Similar to the airside loop, the chilled-water loop responds to changing cooling
loads by varying either the temperature or the quantity of water delivered to
the cooling coil. The most common method, however, is to vary the quantity of
water flowing through the cooling coil by using a control valve. As the cooling
load decreases, the modulating control valve reduces the rate of chilled-water
flow through the coil, decreasing its cooling capacity.
Chilled-Water Loop
 At part-load conditions, a two-way control valve
reduces the rate of chilled water flow through the coil.
 A three-way control valve also reduces the rate of
flow through the coil, but it bypasses the excess
water to mix downstream with the water that flows
through the coil.
 With a three-way valve, the quantity of water flowing
through the system (water flowing through the coil
plus water bypassing the coil) is constant at all
loads. With a two-way valve, the water flowing
through the system varies, which allows the pump to
reduce its capacity and save energy at part load.
 Notice that the control valve is located at the outlet,
or downstream, of the cooling coil. This location
ensures that the tubes inside the coil are always
full of water.
 A valve located at the inlet, or upstream, of the coil
may modulate to the point where the water just
“trickles” through the tubes, not filling the entire
tube diameter. The result is unpredictable heat
transfer and less-stable control.
Refrigeration Loop

The third loop is the refrigeration loop. Which is the Vapor

Compression Cycle, it will be discussed in details later on.
No Chilled-Water Loop
Package Rooftop Air Conditioner
In this arrangement, the chilled-water loop
does not exist. Heat is transferred from the
airside loop directly to the refrigeration
loop.

An example of a system that does not

use the chilled-water loop is one that
uses a packaged rooftop air
conditioner, shown in Figure. It
combines several components of the
airside loop with all the components
of the refrigeration loop.
Heat-Rejection Loop

 The fourth loop is the heat-rejection loop. In the refrigeration loop, the
condenser transfers heat from the hot refrigerant to air, water, or
some other fluid. In a water-cooled condenser, water flows through the
tubes while the hot refrigerant vapor enters the shell space
surrounding the tubes. Heat is transferred from the refrigerant to the
water, warming the water.
 The water flowing through the condenser must be colder than the hot
refrigerant vapor. A heat exchanger is required to cool the water that
returns from the condenser. When a water-cooled condenser is used,
this heat exchanger is typically either a cooling tower or a fluid
cooler (also known as a dry cooler).
Heat-Rejection Loop-Cooling Tower
 In a cooling tower, the warm water
returning from the condenser is
sprayed over the fill inside the tower
 A propeller fan draws outdoor air
upward through the fill.
 One common type of fill consists of
several thin, closely spaced layers of
plastic or wood.
 The water spreads over the surface of
the fill to increase the contact with the
passing air. The movement of air
through the fill allows heat to transfer
from the water to the air.
 This causes some of the water to
evaporate, a process that cools the
remaining water. The remaining
cooled water then falls to the tower
sump and is returned to the condenser.
Heat-Rejection Loop-Cooling Tower
Controls Loop

The fifth, and final, loop of the HVAC system is the controls loop. Each of
the previous four loops contains several components. Each component
must be controlled in a particular way to ensure proper operation. Typically,
each piece of equipment (which may be comprised of one or more
components of a loop) is equipped with a unit-level, automatic controller.
Control Loop- Building Management System(BMS)
HVAC System Requirements
Classification of HVAC systems
 The major classification of HVAC systems is central system
and decentralized or local system.
 Types of a system depend on addressing the primary
equipment location to be centralized as conditioning entire
building as a whole unit or decentralized as separately
conditioning a specific zone as part of a building.
 Therefore, the air and water distribution system should be
designed based on system classification and the location
of primary equipment.
 The criteria as mentioned above should also be applied in
selecting between two systems
Classification of HVAC systems
Criteria Central system Decentralized system
Temperature, humidity,
 Fulfilling any or all of the design  Fulfilling any or all of the design
and space pressure
parameters parameters
requirements
 Considering HVAC diversity
 Maximum capacity is required
factors to reduce the installed
for each equipment
Capacity requirements equipment capacity
 Significant first cost and  Equipment sizing diversity is
operating cost limited
 Standby equipment is
accommodated for  No backup or standby
Redundancy
troubleshooting and equipment
maintenance
 An equipment room is located
outside the conditioned area, or  Possible of no equipment room
adjacent to or remote from the is needed
building
Special requirements
 Installing secondary equipment  Equipment may be located on
for the air and water distribution the roof and the ground
which requires additional cost adjacent to the building
Classification of HVAC systems
Criteria Central system Decentralized system
 High capital cost

First cost  Considering longer equipment  Affordable capital cost

services life to compensate the
high capital cost
 More significant energy efficient  Less energy efficient primary
primary equipment equipment
Operating cost  A proposed operating system which  Various energy peaks due to
saves operating cost occupants’ preference
  Higher operating cost

 Accessible to the equipment room  Accessible to equipment to be

for maintenance and saving located in the basement or the
Maintenance cost
equipment in excellent condition, living space. However, it is difficult
which saves maintenance cost for roof location due to bad weather

 Central system equipment can be  Reliable equipment, although the

Reliability an attractive benefit when estimated equipment service life
considering its long service life may be less

 Selecting standby equipment to

 Placed in numerous locations to be
Flexibility provide an alternative source of
more flexible
HVAC or backup
Central HVAC System
1. All-Air System
The thermal energy transfer medium through the building delivery systems is air.
1.1 Single zone:
 A single zone system consists of an air handling unit, a heat source and cooling
source, distribution ductwork, and appropriate delivery devices [Thermal Zone].
 The air handling units can be wholly integrated where heat and cooling sources
are available or separate where heat and cooling source are detached.
 The integrated package is
most-commonly a rooftop unit
and connected to ductwork to
deliver the conditioned air
into several places with the
same thermal zone.
 The main advantage of single
zone systems is simplicity in
design and Maintenance and
low first cost compared to
other systems. Its main
disadvantage is serving a
single thermal zone when
improperly applied.
 One control device such as
thermostat located in the
zone controls the operation
of the system
All-Air System
1.2 . Multi-zone [Various Thermal Zone]:
 In a multi-zone all-air system, individual supply air ducts are provided for each
zone in a building. Cold air and hot (or return) air are mixed at the air handling
unit to achieve the thermal requirement of each zone.
 Multi-zone all-air system consists of an air handling unit with parallel flow paths
through cooling coils and heating coils and internal mixing dampers.
 It is recommended that one
multi-zone serve a maximum
of 12 zones because of
physical restrictions on duct
connections and damper
size.
 The advantage of the multi-
zone system is to adequately
condition several zones
without energy waste
associated with a terminal
reheat system. However,
leakage between the decks
of air handler may reduce
energy efficiency. The main
disadvantage is the need for
multiple supply air ducts to
serve multiple zones.
 All-Air System
1.3 . Terminal Reheat Unit:
 A terminal reheat all-air system is a multiple zone. This can be performed by
adding heating equipment, such as hot water coil or electric coil, to the
downstream of the supply air from air handling units near each zone.
 Each zone is controlled by a thermostat to adjust the heat output of heating
equipment to meet the thermal condition. The supply air from air handling units is
cooled to the lowest cooling point, and the terminal reheat adds the required
heating load
 The advantage of terminal
reheat is flexible and can be
installed or removed to
accommodate changes in
zones, which provides better
control of the thermal
conditions in multiple zones.
However, the design of
terminal reheat is not
energy-efficient system
because a significant amount
of extremely cooling air is not
regularly needed in zones,
which can be considered as
waste energy.
All-Air System
1.4 . Dual duct :
 A central air handling unit provides two conditioned air streams such as a cold
deck and a hot deck.
 These air streams are distributed throughout the area served by the air handling
unit in separate and parallel ducts.
 Each zone has a terminal mixing box controlled by zone thermostat to adjust the
supply air temperature by mix the supply cold and hot air. This type of system will
minimize the disadvantages of previous systems and become more flexible by
using terminal control.
 All-Air System
1.5 . Variable Air Volume Unit:
 Some spaces require different airflow of supply air due to the changes in thermal
loads. VAV system is the most suitable to achieve thermal changes.
 The VAV system consists of a central air handling unit which provides supply air
to the VAV terminal control box that located in each zone to adjust the supply air
volume.
 The temperature of supply air of
each zone is controlled by
manipulating the supply air flow
rate. The main disadvantage is
that the controlled airflow rate
can negatively impact other
adjacent zones with different or
similar airflow rate and
temperature. Also, part-load
conditions in buildings may
require low air-flow rate which
reduces the fan power resulting
in energy savings. It may also
reduce the ventilation flow rate,
which can be problematic to the
HVAC system and affecting the
indoor air quality of the building
2. All Water System
2.1. Fan-coil units (all water system)
 In an all-water system, heated and cooled water is distributed from a central
system to conditioned spaces.
 This type of system is relatively small compared to other types because the
use of pipes as distribution containers and the water has higher heat
capacity and density than air, which requires the lower volume to transfer
heat.
 All-water heating-only systems include several delivery devices such as floor radiators,
baseboard radiators, unit heaters, and convectors. However, all-water cooling-only
systems are unusual such as valance units mounted in the ceiling. The primary type that
is used in buildings to condition the entire space is a fan-coil unit.
 Fan-coil unit is considerably
small unit used for heating and
cooling coils, circulation fan, and
proper control system.
 The unit can be vertically or
horizontally installed. The fan-
coil unit can be placed in the
room or exposed to occupants,
so it is essential to have
appropriate finishes and styling.
3. Air-water systems
3.1. Fan-coil units (Air-Water System):
 Air-water systems are introduced as a hybrid system to combine both
advantages of all-air and all-water systems.
 The volume of the combined is reduced, and the outdoor ventilation is
produced to properly condition the desired zone.
 The water medium is responsible for carrying the thermal load in a building
by 80–90% through heating and cooling water, while air medium conditions
the remainder. There are two main types: fan-coil units and induction units.
 an-coil units for air-water
systems are similar to that of
all-water systems except that
the supply air and the
conditioned water are
provided to the desired zone
from a central air handling
unit and central water
systems (e.g., boilers or
chillers). The ventilation air
can be separately delivered
into space or connected to
the fan-coil units. The major
types of fan-coil systems, are
2 pipes or 4-pipes systems.
3. Air-water systems
3.2. Induction units:
 Induction units are externally similar to fan-coil units but internally different.

 An induction unit induces the air flow in a room through cabinet by using
high-velocity airflow from a central air handling unit, which replaces the
forced convection of the fan in the fan-coil by the induction or buoyancy
effect of the induction unit.

 This can be performed as

mixing the primary air from
the central unit and the
secondary air from the
room to produce a suitable
and conditioned air into
the room/zone.
4.Water Source Heat-pump
 Water-source heat pumps are used to provide considerable energy savings for
large building under the extreme cold weather.
 A building of various zones can be conditioned by several individual heat
pumps since each heat pump can be controlled according to the zone control.
 A centralized water circulation loop can be used as a heat source and heat
sink for heat pumps. Therefore, heat pumps can act as the primary source of
heating and cooling.
 The main disadvantage is the lack of air ventilation similar to the all-water
systems as in fan-coil units.
 For a heating process, the boiler or
solar collectors will be used to supply
heat to the water circulation, while a
cooling tower is used to reject heat
collected from the heat pumps to the
atmosphere.
 This system does not use chillers or
any refrigeration systems. If a building
requires a heating process for zones
and cooling process for other zones at
the same time, the heat pump will
redistribute heat from one part to
another with no need for a boiler or
cooling tower operation.
 5. Heating and cooling panels
 Heating and cooling panels are placed on floors or walls or ceilings where can
be a source of heating and cooling.
 It also can be called as radiant panels. This type of system can be constructed
as tubes or pipes impeded inside the surface where the cooling or heating
media is circulated into the tubes to cool or heat the surface.
 The tubes are contacted to the adjacent large surface area to achieve the
desired surface temperature for cooling and heating process.
6. Local HVAC System
HVAC System